D-Day Minus 2:40 The Last Message BEFORE

Well, I've got25 minutes to get this away before I must abandon ship. Becky, Peter, Haley and Zach arrive about 4:40 PM. I'm supposed to disappear and reappear at 6:50 PM. Do you have this picture of the faithful radioman in the radio shack aboard a sinking freighter, the submarine shelling the burning ship as he struggles to get off a final message? Drama, huh? Nothing that hard, just a few radio pages landing on target from the dialysis clinics.

We ended up in a Sports Bar! Tammy is not pregant. Laurie and Matt arrived from Lincoln and they were there to surprise me. It was really great! I know I'm prejudiced but I am really surrounded by beautiful women. Beautiful smart women! Shes getting A's in about everything, and working in the area of psychiatric aide. Matt is taking his horticultural course and loving chemistry.... you see, he's not really a blood relative! They're married and they live in Lincoln, Nebraska. Well, it was a great surprise. Little Myles, less than 8 months, is following in the crawling path of his cousin Zachary. He is going to be another lady killer. Smiles and behaves like a one year old!

But look guys, let me fill you in on what's going to happen. I know about the surprise party for me. THEY DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE SURPRISE FOR MY WIFE!!! She is going to thoroughly embarrass me with some kind of speech which is heartfelt, but it's going to be gushy. Heck, she loves me! She wants the world to discover the peculiar combination of endearing qualities, which, of course, she is the only one to appreciate. From her persective, I'm an undiscovered Adonis. I told you this is going to be embarrassing. She will demonstrate to everyone, who already knows it, that I am the luckiest guy in the world.

Somewhere after her speech, I will rise to say that I really appreciate the gathered crowd of family and friends, grandchildren and all. I will have a Valentine for each of my children, and a heart made of some kind of stone in a different color for Becky, Eve and Laurie, and a red heart for Lin. I will say, that after all, since were here for my birthday, I must exress my love for my children. The boys will get a similar card.... John, Geoff, Dirk and Josh.

Then I will berate Lin, after the heart, and say that I told her not to do this 11 years ago after the spitfire ride. Come on! What can you do after that. And to drag me away from my sporting events, when all I want to do is watch basketball and football and be a quiet couch potato. I have a book for her about how women can watch football and be good little sportsfans. A joke of course, but I will stress this.

I will say, nevertheless, since we have everyone here, and you know how much I hate parties, we might as well celebrate Valentine's Day, Our Anniversary, February 24th, and your (her) birthday, April 10. Heck, let's get it all in so I don't have to miss any more football or basketball games. At this point, I expect that my daughters will be getting ready to lynch me, and the feminists will be calling for a demonstration.

Then I will hand her a box containing some small airplanes for children that you can fly in your living room. By chance, the art work has a poorly drawn sand and spinach camouflage British WWII plane, and in the box are four cards, the last of which derides her jewelry, while saying what a great dress she has on.... I will ask her read the cards out loud.... to embarrass her. The last card says, look under the handbook!

There she will find a 3 carat emerald necklace and 2 1.5 carat emeral earings, all offset with little diamonds.

Don't mess with a Spitfire pilot, particularly one with 55 total hours!